Set In Stone
by DJ Vivian
Summary: Part II/Sequel: Emma Oswald has been having dreams of the Doctor and his son, Ryder being stone statutes. Does it have anything to do with Weeping Angels or is it a warning from something else?
1. The Taletelling Dreams

**Dear Readers,**

**I felt so much pressure to write a sequel to The Doctor's Son that I rushed right into it. It was so cluttered and a mess that I decided to re-write Set In Stone. I wanted to give the Time Lords a proper storytelling. I felt there was more that I could do with Ryder and Emma. I also wanted to give my new friend Stephani much love and thanks for helping me with the rewrite and inspiration.**

**I truly hope you like this as much as the first story. Thank you for all of your amazing support and love.**

**DJ Vivian**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to any Doctor Who characters or stories.**

Not knowing why, Emma found herself in a world of complete darkness. This occurred every night for almost a year but tonight seemed to be different somehow. A path was on the ground this time. The young woman continued to blindly walked down the vast everlasting emptiness in curiosity. _"__They need you…" _A soft feminine voice said softly in her head, guiding her to the proper destination. But who needed her…and in what way? _"__You must help them…"_ The mysterious voice said again more urgently. Emma felt herself speeding up a bit at the pure concern that flooded her. She wanted to ask whoever was speaking to her what happened and who else was there.

Suddenly unexplainable excruciating burning engulfed her entire being as if she stepped into a wall of a blue flamed fire. She fell to her knees and clutched her head with both hands. Tears streamed down her cheeks behind closed eyes. Wiping her face, the content of what was on her fingers shocked her. There was a golden-like substance glistening on her fingers. It held a slight thick feeling to it but also felt smooth. Emma knew she had seen something similar to this before but couldn't pinpoint the exact location.

Screams of pain threatened to burst out of her while the unbearable burning grew intensely. Nothing around her that she could see was the source of what was happening to her. Her only conclusion of a cause was the owner of the voice in her head had done something to her. She stood unsteadily…someone was in danger…she had to get to them. Emma pushed forward as she fought against complete agony. It wasn't in her nature to just give up in any situation especially if someone was in trouble.

Something in the distance finally came into view. Whatever or whoever it was, seemed to be blurred and horribly distorted. Two forms split from the one absurd image when she moved nearer to where they stood. Emma briefly halted and placed her hand against an unseen wall in effort to catch her bearings again. Why was this happening and what was wrong was her?

Desperation became more evident as the fire took over her mind completely but the disembodied voice echoed lightly through her ears. _"__Do not be afraid…trust in the light…it will lead you…"_ Oddly, those words actually eased her inner turmoil and gave her the strength to go on. Her body protested against any kind of movement as she started again in her journey.

A horrified gasp escaped her at what stood in front of her. At first glance, one could mistake both figures as perfect sculpted replicas of the Doctor and Ryder. Every detail was in the right place even down to their posture. Both had their sonic screwdrivers out in front of them, defensively. But what told Emma that they were not mere statutes was the light of life shone dimly in their eyes.

"Doctor?" Emma questioned the unmoving Time Lord, curiously touching his arm. Concern escalated to fear when he remained silence. "Ryder, love?" The young woman's hand gently caressed Ryder's stone cold cheek. Her airways tightened immensely while beats from her heart thundered in her ears. "Please speak to me...what happened?" Again neither man spoke.

It was an extreme rare occurrence that the Time Lords were ever defeated like this. Something or someone must have caught them off guard. What possessed greater power than the Doctor? Capable of turning he and his son into petrified statutes. _"Only you can free them...use the light within yourself..." _the unknown woman's voice instructed Emma. A torturous mixture of confusion and conflict whirled around dangerously inside Emma's soul. What light and how was she supposed to use it? The Doctor always managed to get himself out of anything…Now that he relied on her to help him, she couldn't do it.

A nasty throb bursted through her head like a bomb. The cry that she had been surprising finally left the young woman's throat. Emma felt her legs giving out from underneath her, "Doctor, please tell me what to do…" Her voice trembled through heartbroken sobs. "Doctor…please…it burns so badly…" Every ounce of her brain felt as though it would melt into the intensity of whatever energies that coursed through each nerve at rapid speed. "Make it stop…" She begged whoever was listening. White blinding light grew in front of her blurring vision.

Nothing could be done now because death was consuming her…teasing her… All that she could think about was the fact that she was unable to save the only protectors of the universe. All feeling gave away to the merciful numbness. Blackness slowly covered her…taking her last breath away.

"Emma? Emma?" Her mother's voice called to her from the nothingness that she was in, "Emma, wake up, darling…" Didn't her mother see that she was dead now? Then again, why was Emma able to hear the older woman's voice in the first place? It became very confusing and discerning to Emma as she felt a soft hand on her cheek. How was she even feeling anything at all? Emma's eyes flew opened, only to be blinded by a light shining all around her. She blinked a few times in effort to adjust to the unknown source of light. Images of her room slowly came into view, her mother sat on the edge of the bed with an extremely worried look on her face. "You are soaked…and burning up…" Clara said, in concern and ran her hands across Emma's clammy face. With those words Emma's awareness finally caught up to her. Her pajamas clung to her as if she went swimming in them. Painful aches from her chest rent through her from the intense speed of her heart. Everything was just a terrifying dream…the Doctor and Ryder weren't turned into statutes…she never had a burning energy inside of her that begun to melt her mind…

"Mummy? Is Emma alright?" Oswin said, worriedly from the doorway of Emma's room with Dylan next to her. _Damn it… _Emma cursed to herself realizing it was the same dream that she had been having for the past while. "We heard screaming…" Oswin said, even more troubled. Clara smiled reassuringly at her youngest child while walking up to the little girl.

"Yes, I'm fine. It was a bad dream," Emma said, she quickly hid her true feelings. Oswin stayed put for a few more moments before deciding that was the truth. Their mother, however, saw through the wall that her daughter put up. The younger children went back to their rooms. Emma placed her head in her hands to get her nerves to calm down a bit. Also to collect her thoughts on what it meant for her and the Time Lords. She almost wondered if it wasn't some kind of warning from an enemy of the Doctor's. A vision of things to come in the future.

"When were you going to tell me?" Clara asked somewhat hurt by her daughter's secretiveness. Emma sighed softly, she honestly wasn't sure if it meant anything. Why worry her mother over a dream? The young woman finally looked up into her mother's eyes but looked away again. "I have known for some time, Emma. I hear you calling out for Ryder and the Doctor every night." Emma's face paled in horror that her mother had heard her.

"It's nothing, just a dream," Emma replied, not wanting to discuss it. Clara forced her daughter to look at her before speaking again. This time firmly and directly.

"Emma, I could help you. I have been through this before," Clara said, lovingly but deeply concerned for the girl. Emma's situation was very eerily identical to something that the mother of three experienced while traveling through the Doctor's timeline. In that particular timeline, Clara was a barmaid doubling as a governess to Captain Latimer. The captain's daughter, Franny kept having dreams about their previous governess that died months before by drowning in the pond in the family's front yard. It froze over trapping the woman in the depths of the pond. The old governess told Franny in her dreams, that she would be coming back from her icy grave to punish the children. It came true on Christmas Eve night, the ex governess became an ice person. The Great Intelligence was the main caused of the terror and aided by Dr. Walter Simeon

It was the tears of the Latimer family mourning Clara's impending death defeated the Great Intelligence. Maybe it was happening again with Emma…something was trying to use her in the same manner to get to the Doctor. "Mum, seriously, it's nothing," Emma replied frustration was slightly noted in her voice. Clara sighed, she knew her daughter deep down felt different but her stubbornness caused her to remain silent about it.

"Nothing doesn't haunt you for almost two years." Clara said exasperatedly the protective mother coming out in her. "I also think that you should tell the Doctor about this. Obviously, it has something to do with him." That was the last thing that Emma wanted to do. The Doctor had enough to deal with besides the night terrors of a seventeen year old.

"Mum, I'm not telling the Doctor about some silly dream," Emma said, more irritated with her mother's persistence. "Besides there isn't any way to contact him and he has other problems to take care of." This time, Clara smiled knowingly at the teen as she stood.

"If you won't contact then I will," Clara said, looking back at her eldest daughter firmly, "there are ways to contact the Doctor. He needs to know even though it could hurt him." She knew the last part all to well from her own travels with the Doctor. Clara walked down to the study down the hall to contact friends of the Doctor. There was more to what Emma was wiling to talk about and if anyone could get to the bottom of it. The Doctor could…

In 1892, a young man of eighteen stood in the upper right window of a Victorian home on Paternoster Row. His father told him that it was best for the young man to stay there for his own good and safety. Of course, Ryder opposed of the Doctor's 'retirement' though the younger Time Lord understood the reasoning behind it. It was nearly 10 years since both Time Lords experienced their greatest loss to date. Rory and Amelia Pond were taken by the Weeping Angels…Amelia went by choice to be with her husband. It tore the Doctor's hearts to unrepairable shreds to watch them meet their deaths. Ryder shared in his pain, the Ponds were the only family that either Time Lord had known in many years. The Doctor's spirit died along with his closest companions, causing him to become cold and isolated to anyone, even those that possessed emotional value to the man.

Ryder watched his mother, River Song, try her hardest to pull her husband out of his obvious downward spiral into a very dark and dangerous depression. But he told her to go back to Stormcage Containment Facility where she belonged, which resulted in an argument of epic portions. River obeyed, but reminded him that he should be careful about who he pushed away. Being alone was the worst thing that he could do to himself. So was abandoning his post as the galaxy's greatest protector. The Doctor never responded. He knew she was right.

For now, all the four residences of Paternoster Row could do was to wait for something to happen to revive the Doctor's spirit again. Sadly, it didn't seem like it was ever going to happen. Trying not to dwell on it, Ryder sighed as he sat on his bed. He spent almost all of his time in his room, since there was nothing else for him to do. Time to time the young man would think about stealing the TARDIS during the Doctor's nightly walks around the village. He missed traveling through the stars and worlds beyond mere imagination. He also missed his girlfriend, Emma Oswald quite a bit.

Emma and Ryder had been living unknowingly as Harry Potter and Emma Miller in an alternate universe. The Doctor's arch rival, the Master, in order to have control over an entire universe created a way for the Wizarding world to be real, but it ripped reality apart. As the ultimate revenge on the Doctor, the Master, during the Time War…arranged Ryder's murder with the Daleks. Forcing the Doctor to watch it in front of him. Afterwards the Master used the Chameleon Arch and the biometric imprint from Ryder's ring to resurrect the young Time Lord from the dead and imprison Ryder in the doubled universe with a prophecy of his death. The twisted Time Lord left Gallifrey and found the Doctor's daughter Jenny, and brainwashed her into becoming his second wife. In the new realm of Harry Potter, both Jenny and the Master assumed the identities of the Malfoys. They had a son, whom they named Orion, but was called Draco in the Wizarding World. He was the driving force in completing the Master's plan for revenge.

In the midst of everything, the Doctor had found his long lost son, and the two Time Lords foiled the Master's plot of universal domination. They were able to reset everything to how it was supposed to be. Emma's memories of the event were soon forgotten, due to the time rewrite. It had been the deep rooted love and bond between Emma and the Doctor's son that allowed her memories to return back to her. It also released both Time Lords from the alternate universe. From then on, Emma became Ryder's companion. During that brief time, the two teens developed a very close bond that grew into an ever stronger connection. A similar connection to the one Ryder's grandparents carried. Because of her, Ryder was able to accept his given destiny as a Time Lord and the Doctor's son. Through that acceptance, he joined his father in saving all of time from being torn apart and defeating the Master.

Emma was sent back to her proper place in the universe with her mother, Clara and siblings, Oswin and Dylan. Both Time Lords were shocked to discover that Emma was the eldest child of the woman who would, in her past become Doctor's companion in his future. It made Ryder and Emma even more fated to be together but also made sense. The more Ryder learned about Clara, the more he noticed that even in the wizarding universe, Emma had some of her mannerisms and traits. Though Ryder would never admit it to anyone but his parents, he was scared that Emma would end up moving on and leaving him behind forever, or completely forgetting about him. Especially after he regenerated at Demon's Run three months prior and lost the face Emma had known him as. He had helped Strax fight off the Headless Monks and enemy soldiers, but the other side had been too much for them and he'd been too badly wounded. His father warned him about the first regeneration was always the worst. As far as the young man was concerned it was true. Ryder would never forget the intense burning that rent through him. He found himself still getting used to his new appearance. His hair was now a deep bright red and a bit shorter but his eyes were still an emerald green. The Doctor was particularly annoyed that his son had become a ginger on the first go. Ryder figured that it had to been because of his grandmother.

He sighed hoping that when he got to see his Emma again that she would feel the same about him. Maybe tonight, he would finally put his proposed plan in action to see her.

Unaware of what was occurring in the drawing room below the young Time Lord, a short man with a large, bulbous head entered the room. He tightly gripped onto what appeared to be a worn old leather wallet in his hand. His eyes and deep set features read of urgent intent, obviously on a mission. He approached the veiled woman sitting in the lavish lounge chair. She seemed to be expecting him as she slowly turned to receive the item.

Madam Vastra smoothed the skirt of her black mourning dress before addressing the stout man in front of her, "What is it, Strax?" she questioned him, assuming it was another one of his requests to attack a nearby human for sport. Admittedly, the Sontaran was doing much better with not associating every newcomer as an enemy.

"The psychic paper picked up a message, Madam," the short man informed the woman, with a solemn tone and handed her the brown wallet. Even behind the laced veil, one could see the flash of surprise in her eyes. This was something big…really big. Maybe the very thing that the Doctor needed.

"That's rare, not many know how to send a message to psychic paper." Vastra commented, reading the small paper. She pulled her veil away from her face to reveal shimmering green scales of a reptile But she possessed a very beautiful elegance at the same time. She held the paper closer to her to inspect it. Three words appeared in a row on the blank paper, 'dreams', 'pond', and 'Emma' followed by R. Y. C. B. A. R. Madam Vastra recognized it as the initials of what Clara always told the Doctor whenever they parted. "Clara needs the Doctor's help." She intoned seriously. "She's asking on behalf of her daughter."

The nearby maid stopped cleaning to exchange a shared knowing look with the other women, "Dreams?" the maid inquired interested, now moving over to see the words herself, "But what kind of dreams? Do you think they are the same as the Latimer child's?" Madam Vastra read the messages again in thought of what this meant.

"Yes, Jenny, the word pond would imply that the dreams are similar to the ones that the Latimer girl had," Madam Vastra said, if that was the case then danger was surely on its way, Emma was the intended target. Now it was the matter of telling the Time Lords.

"But, we haven't met Clara yet in this time so how do we know if this is from her?" Strax questioned the Silurian, obviously ready to battle a supposed enemy. He did have a very good point though, but they couldn't rule out the possibility that it was truly Clara either.

"She is the only other person from Earth that knows how to reach the Doctor by means of psychic paper," Jenny pointed out directly, "but, do we tell the boy?" Jenny asked, glancing towards the staircase knowing Ryder would want something done.

"Even though, we haven't met the Clara in this era, doesn't mean that we don't keep in touch with the real Clara, Strax." Vastra explained to the Sontaran. "You do not like conference calls." Strax huffed at the mention at their way of doing a conference call. She turned her attention to the young Time Lord, debating the best course of action. "I do believe he has a right to know, now." Madam Vastra sighed to her wife.

"Would you like for me to fetch the boy?" Strax said, obediently but before Madam Vastra could reply, they heard the young man descending down the stairs. He felt them all looking at him in great anticipation. He knew that something must have happened, making him all the more curious as to what it was.

"Fetch what boy? Did my father come?" Ryder asked, hopefulness lit his voice slightly at the idea that his father had returned. Both women remained silent, knowing it could be a touchy subject. Jenny gently met Ryder at the door and gave him a warm smile.

"No, but we might have news," she said softly, Ryder immediately perked up at those last four words. Did this mean that his father was out of retirement finally? Jenny turned to Vastra. "Should I try the Doctor?" Madam Vastra sat quietly still unsure if this would even provoke the Doctor to take any action.

"What kind of news? Something to do with Emma?" Ryder's guess had been eerily spot on. Both women knew that they couldn't hide it much longer from him. It would be cruel to lie to him. Madam Vastra sighed and nodded to confirm that he had been correct. He tensed up, gripping the banister as he looked into the eyes of the trio. "What about Emma?" He asked tersely. He started to think of what could have happened and how bad things were. He also felt slightly guilty for not being there to protect her.

"Well, her mother contacted your father through the psychic paper about supposed dreams that Emma has been having," Madam Vastra said, handing him the psychic paper to see the message. It was vague but Ryder understood why Clara had to be. Who knew who else also had psychic paper. Nonetheless, Ryder's mind spun around what kind of dreams afflicted his love's mind.

"You must know or at least have some idea of what kind of dreams they are," he insisted, barely hiding the urgency in his voice. "What does R.Y.C.B.A.R mean? Is it some kind of code?" he interrogated the women curiously.

"Run you clever boy and remember. Something she told your father before each death in his timeline except her true timeline. Where Emma exists," Vastra explained, seeing the process of a plan formulating in his head. He nodded to show that he acknowledged what she had said, still musing over what to do.

"Something identical is soon going to happen to a young girl named Francesca Lamtier. She was the daughter, Captain Lamtier, she dreams of her old governess that drowned in the pond outside of their family home and froze over. In her dreams, the old governess warns the child that she is coming back from the dead to punish her," Madam Vastra said, firmly. "The Great Intelligence, one of your father's oldest enemies, used the child's fears to attempt to create an army of ice people to rid this planet of humankind."

"Is this Great Intelligence trying to do the same with Emma in attempts to repeat history?" Ryder asked, his brain was furiously trying to piece together what was going on, but he didn't have all the information. The Time Lord in him was moving into overdrive as he met confused lost eyes.

"We don't know…" Jenny said, she saw the pain in Ryder's emerald green eyes. "That is what we are trying to find out but we need your father. He would know what to do…" Ryder sighed, silently agreeing with the woman. The Doctor always seemed to have a plan at hand.

"Until he comes around, we must be the ones to find out what is going on," Vastra told her wife intently and mused out loud, "We need to somehow invade Emma's dreams in order to see what they are about and find the source of them." She sighed again but her eyes lit up as inspiration hit her. Jenny must have sensed what Vastra was thinking.

"A conference call…" Jenny said, knowingly and smiling, "but how? We would have to enter the dream without disturbing anything or interaction. That alone is a big risk." But it was a risk worth taking to be able to save Emma. After a few moments, Madam Vastra spoke again with assurity in her voice.

"We don't have any other choice, my love," Vastra said, emphasizing the severity of the situation. "Ryder, go get the candles from the upstairs cabinet." she requested of the young man who nodded and started back to the staircase. He stopped at the foot of the stairs, it was only proper that his father was present during the 'conference call'.

"I think that my father should join us," Ryder said, solemnly from the doorway, it wasn't a guarantee the 1200 plus year old man would help, but this might pique his interest enough to get back to doing things. "It would be only right." He added, showing intense respect towards his father. Madam Vastra acknowledged the young man's words and emotion.

"You can try but not sure if he will come," Madam Vastra said, factoring in that the Doctor was still in mourning of his family. Ryder said a soft mutter of appreciation before going up to get the candles for the conference call. He hoped that this would bring the Doctor out of his funk. Ryder changed into the street urchin outfit that he wore whenever he left the house. He placed the tattered hat on his head and walked out into the quiet neighborhood. Softly, the young man begun to whistle the British national anthem. For the most part Ryder blended in with the surroundings perfectly. He continued to make his way to the nearby park where the Doctor hid himself among the clouds.

Ryder jumped over the metal fence around the gate and landed on his feet. He glanced around him to see if he was truly alone before doing anything else. The familiar tune slowed as the young Time Lord circled the spot and took a bit of a running jump. As he jumped he reached up for something invisible, he smiled when his fingers gripped the brass bar of the ladder that led to the hidden box above. Ryder allowed his feet to touch ground again and pulled down exposing the rest of the ladder. He glanced around once more then begun his ascend. The ladder ended at the foot of a very high spiral staircase. His hand loosely ran his hand up the railing. Ryder saw why his father decided to retire in the safety haven of the clouds. It was so peaceful and serene. The beauty of the stars was beyond compare. More then once, Ryder thought about bringing Emma up there to show her.

The young Time Lord crossed the cloud covered floor to the blue box and entered inside. Ryder missed the place that he called home for going on almost a thousand years. He felt guilty for leaving it behind. He let out a content sigh of truly being home, he stroked her console. "Dad?" It was odd not seeing the Doctor in his usual spot at the console. The older Time Lord completely abandoned everything that used to bring him so much joy. "Dad?" Ryder called out again, he knew that his father would be furious that Ryder disobeyed his request to be left alone and not involved in anything that happened on Earth. But this was worth the fury of the storm.

A few moments later, a door from the opposite wall opened as the Doctor walked in with true resentment in his eyes. He was wearing one of his older outfits to escape the man that he became over the years, "Why did you come back? I thought I made myself clear when I told you to never come back," the Doctor said, coldly. Reminded once again how dark the man could be and heartless. Ryder didn't care, somebody was in danger, somebody whom was utmost import for Ryder to protect. He was okay with trying to do it all on his own but felt his father would be drawn to what was right.

"We were contacted…" Ryder said, ignoring the Doctor's cold exterior, "by Clara." There wasn't any sign of interest in the Doctor's demeanor just deadness. The Doctor was done, why didn't everyone else see that. It didn't matter to him anymore. He wanted to be left in peace.

"How does that pertain to me?" The Doctor said, hollowly. "You can save the world but it isn't worth it to me anymore." He added, turning his back on his son. Ryder remanded silent calculating his next step in pursuing the Doctor. "I've told you all, told you loads of times, told you specifically-" the Doctor pointed at Ryder "176 times, I'm retired." He growled the last word.

"Fine, you can stay here and drown in your own self pity, I choose not to because I rather help those I care about," Ryder said, directly and without any remorse for crossing the line with his father. "I just thought that you care enough to actually be selfless for once." Both Time Lord glared at one another in disdain and betrayal. The Doctor never expected his son to push the envelope that far. Ryder was everything that the Doctor used to be, down to the core. Which burned the Doctor even more because he knew that Ryder was still misguided by his emotions. The older Time Lord knew better…

"Don't." The Doctor warned. He didn't want to get angry at his son, but the boy knew exactly which buttons to push to rile him up. "I've helped. I've helped and helped and helped and _HELPED_ and look where it's gotten me. This is not self pity, it is self preservation." How did the Doctor expect a boy this young to understand why the Doctor chose to harden his heart? The Doctor was wrong about what he assumed his purpose was as a man. The universe showed him the truth time and time again, he finally took heed to it.

Ryder sighed in frustration at his father's stubbornness and unnecessary apathy but giving up was not an option for the young man. Yes, the fight hurt like hell but he was going to withstand the pain for what meant most to him, "Don't what? Don't remind you that the world needs you? Don't show you that I care? I could very easily walk out of here and do what I have to on my own. Because I'm not going to fall into the same pathetic state that you are in. Yes, we lost my grandparents but do you really think that closing yourself to everything is going to stop the pain for good? People lose people that they love everyday but they pick themselves up because they know that their love ones are still with them. I know that my grandparents wouldn't want me to give up. Emma needs me and I will not fail her," Ryder said, firmly and headed to the TARDIS' door to prove his point. "You taught me that."

_Damn him_, the Doctor thought to himself in bitterness. Ryder was so much like his mother and it annoyed the Doctor beyond anything else. Deep down, Ryder was right, Amy would have been pushing him to help and do the right thing. The Doctor had been denying himself since the Ponds left him.

The Doctor softened slightly at the thought of Amy and saw the love Ryder possessed for Emma as the same the Doctor had for Rose, "Tell me. Contacted how, what did it say?" The Doctor fell into the captain's chair, rubbing his face in efforts to asset the situation. Ryder still had his back to his father as he answered solemnly.

"Clara somehow was able to send a coded message to the psychic paper. Three words appeared on it, pond, dreams, and Emma. A row of five letters followed which translated as run you clever boy and remember," Ryder said, walking over to his father and placed the brown wallet on the console.

In silence, the Doctor picked up the worn leather and touched a shaky finger to each letter of the initials. The Doctor saw why Clara coded her message, anyone could have contacted him using her alias. Usage of her famed phrase let him know that she truly needed his help. His lips moving minutely and soundlessly across each word. "Did Vastra say anything?" He sighed, fearing the message meant what he thought it meant. If it did then things were worst then he imagined.

Ryder nodded, soaking up his father's seriousness, "Yes, she said that Emma's dreams are the direct cause of the Great Intelligence," Ryder said, sighing worriedly. "Vastra suggested that we invade Emma's dreams in order to find out what is really going on. She suggested a conference call." The Doctor sighed in grimness knowing how risky that could be, anything could go wrong with that.

"That is quite dangerous but I see Vastra's reasoning in using that method. It's the only way we could go straight to the source of the dreams," the Doctor said as he reached into a hidden compartment for his Sonic Screwdriver. He silently convinced himself that he was not out of retirement. He was merely helping an old friend, "Come on," he beckoned his son as he after centuries left the TARDIS. Father and son quickly climbed back down the stairs and ladder. Ryder smiled to himself as he saw the familiar glint of excitement in his father's eyes.

The young man knew that the Doctor would never admit out loud that he missed the mystery of a new adventure. They walked back down the quiet, dark streets of London until the mansion came into view. Ryder wondered what the others would think of his father's sudden return in action. Strax entered the foyer, looking disappointed that the Time Lords weren't intruders or someone that he could attack. "Welcome back, sirs," Strax said, somewhat thrilled to see that the Doctor back. "Glad to see you have come out of retirement, Sir," he added, hopefully.

The Doctor's eyes narrowed at Strax disapprovingly, "This does not mean I'm coming out of retirement." He growled to Strax but loud enough for Vastra to hear. "Have they started the 'call' yet?" The Doctor said, directly to the Sontaran, careful not to show any type of interest.

"We were waiting to see if you would be joining us," Vastra said, with a knowing tone in her voice. A small smile appeared across her features, "Out of retirement or not." The Doctor didn't reply just looked at her coldly.

"I only agreed to this to only observe nothing more," the Doctor said, determined to keep his position of not getting involved. Vastra nodded in response and headed back into the drawing room. Jenny was already in the trance that the candles caused when they were lit. Ryder sat in one of the chairs at the end of the table, he felt uncomfortable about the whole thing. He had merely witnessed a 'conference call'. The Doctor sat next to his son wearing a stony look on his face, he thought that the whole thing was ridiculous.

Ryder hesitantly lit the candle in front of him causing the drawing room to be transformed into what looked like a darkened cavern. He didn't have any idea where they were but quickly became curious. His father stood next to him, scanning the area with his screwdriver. Someone else stood at the end of the mystery corridor but Ryder soon recognized the person as Emma. She was standing in front of what looked like two human sized statutes. "Dad, what is going on?" Ryder asked, in concern and expected something to go wrong at any moment.

"I have asked Clara to light the candle that we sent her in Emma's room when the girl fell asleep," Vastra explained, keeping her eye on Emma intently. "That way we can see her dreams without Emma knowing, which means we can not interact or interfere with the events that will occur." So all they could do was watch and try to determine why Clara would alert them to this. Ryder was still rather confused about where they were. Why would Emma be dreaming about a dark cavern? He felt another presence but unseen. It was so familiar to him…all oh so familiar.

He was pulled out of his thought process as she said his name, "Ryder, love?" The young woman's hand gently caressed Ryder's stone cold cheek. Ryder could hear the pain in her voice, both physical and emotional. The young man waited for himself to answer her back but soon realized in horror that was a stone statute of himself. He turned to see the same had happened to his father…both completely stone. How did that happen? How were they turned into stone? What caught him off guard the most was that Emma had golden streams falling down her cheeks. What was causing it or was it really Emma at all. Maybe some kind of shape shifter but he felt Emma's spirit in the girl.

"The heart of the TARDIS…" the Doctor finally said in horrified shock, somehow Emma took the heart of the TARDIS into her. That was impossible..the last person to have that energy in them was Rose and it almost killed her. Ryder felt his hearts sinking into his stomach at the thought of what was about to happen to Emma. Unable to take the excruciating pain anymore, Ryder watched as Emma fell to her knees. She cried out in pure agony which, shattered the Time Lord's spirit. He couldn't stop himself from moving toward her…he had to help her.

Emma clutched her head as a golden aura surrounded her body. Maybe there was a way for Ryder to interfere in the dream, a loop hole. "Doctor, please tell me what to do…" Her voice trembled through heartbroken sobs. "Doctor…please…it burns so badly…Make it stop…" She begged pleadingly.

"I'm here…my Girl From Two Universes…" He ran to her, tried to comfort her, but his arms passed through her like he was a Gelf. It killed him that he couldn't do anything to soothe her pain. He couldn't handle it anymore, Ryder forced himself out of the trance. The scene vanished slowly and the drawing room reappeared. He needed to go to her. Startling the others, Ryder left the table and sprinted out of the house. He barely heard them calling after him. The young Time Lord didn't care what kind of consequences would come to him for his action, all he knew was that Emma needed him.

As quick as lightening Ryder made his way to the TARDIS' hiding place and started up the slumbering console. The TARDIS shuddered, not having flown in years, but flew into the vortex, both singing in joy at flying again and chastising the son of her Thief and Child of Time for flying solo. Ryder didn't pay her heed, kept focused on his mission. In minutes, the console quieted alerting the Time Lord that they arrived at the requested destination.


	2. Rules of Time

**Dear Readers,**

**Sorry for the delay in chapters but I made the second chapter worth the wait! I would like to send the HUGEST thanks to Stephani Dudrak for helping me out of a writer's block streak. I truly hope that you enjoy this chapter! Please let me know what you think or tell me what you would like to see!**

**Enjoy and loves,**

**DJ Vivian**

The Doctor was just coming out of the trance when he heard he heard the door of the house slamming shut. He chased his son for about twenty miles or so until he gave up and returned to the house on Paternoster Row. How could Ryder just steal the TARDIS? He had to understand the gravity of the situation, there was more going on than Emma having bad dreams. He slammed the door shut and scared the other residents of the house by doing so. He didn't have any other way of following his son and had known this was a possible outcome. He sat in the armchair in the nearby living room to mull over what his next step was going to be.

Whoever was causing Emma to have those dreams, knew that this would throw the timeline off. The Doctor hadn't even met Clara in this period yet. So the next question was: who was behind all of this and why? The Doctor got lost in his thoughts and became unaware to the knocking on the front door. It was Madam Vastra moving slowly and cautiously along the wall that finally caught the Doctor's attention. He saw the upper half of a woman's silhouette framed by the door's stained window. Jenny followed behind her wife mimicking Vastra's deep suspicion of the visitor. The Doctor joined them with his sonic screwdriver in hand, prepared to face whoever was outside. The unknown person knocked again, Strax aimed his massive gun straight ahead of them.

"Sir, do you want me to obliterate them?" Strax questioned the Doctor, excitement was notable in his voice. The Doctor shook his head as he continued to stare at the shadow. "Or even some acid?" Strax continued even more hopefully which caused Madam Vastra to glance at him in exasperated annoyance briefly. The Time Lord had a slight hunch who the person was but they could have been a part of some unknown plot from one of his many enemies. He still wanted to see what would unfold.

"Not yet." The Time Lord said, wishing his screwdriver scanned wood. A look of extreme disappointment appeared on Strax's face at the request to hold fire. "They could be on our side or a messenger." His mind did cross upon the thought that Clara could have come to him earlier than expected. On the Doctor's signal, Jenny crept closer to the door and slowly opened it. Jenny hid a gun behind her back in case an attack did happen. There on the doorstep stood a woman wearing a dress, with an emerald green skirt that flowed to her feet and a corset top in a darker shade of green. Her curly blonde hair was pulled back into a bun and a few loose ringlets hung around her face. It was his wife or soon to be his wife, River Song or Melody Pond. The daughter of Amy and Rory. The mere sight caused the Doctor's heart to leap but land in the pit of his stomach because days before he sent her to her death inside of the 'Library', where his previous regeneration had yet to battle the Vashta Nerada. He remembered telling her to take his sonic screwdriver along for protection but in reality knew it would keep her consciousness alive until he had placed her into the Library's Earth simulation database. He knew this must have been River just after saving the universe from the Master's Pandorica two years ago.

River smiled pleasantly but also knowingly as Jenny allowed her to walk into the foyer. "Oh, hello River! We thought that you might have been someone else," she said as everyone else in the living room relaxed a bit. The Doctor was still on high alert as to why she was there. Jenny went back into the dining room to clean up from the interrupted conference call. River looked around the living room and dining room nonchalantly. That alone drove the Doctor crazy; she knew what had transpired there but was waiting for him to tell her. "What brings you 'ere, if you don't mind my asking?" Jenny asked, putting the 'trance candles' away in a nearby cabinet. River's eyes briefly crossed of her husband's intense ones.

"One could say that I'm here because of my mother's intuition," River said, knowingly smoothing out her beautiful deep green dress with corset top. "Ryder took the TARDIS because Clara Oswald's sweet daughter has been having dreams of Ryder and my husband being turned into stone. Does that sum it up?" She said, smirking at the Doctor in supreme amusement. The Doctor became agitated again more so at his wife's obvious pleasure of what Ryder had done.

"_Your _son stole _my_ TARDIS," the Doctor said briskly, his irritation growing by the moment. How could she not understand the severity of the situation? "If he had taken it then he would have had my permission," he ranted on. River only smiled more only to frustrate him more.

"I see, when he rebels against you, he is _my_ son. And how old exactly were you when _you_ stole the TARDIS from Gallifrey?" River said now slightly taunting him. The Doctor turned toward the front door in order to avoid the question that proved Ryder was exactly like him. "It's a rite of passage in this family." She teased, grinning.

"That is not the point; the point is that he stole _my_ TARDIS. For some reason, this amuses you doesn't it?" The Doctor said, not giving into her coy attempts to distract him. She placed her hands on his shoulders and began to fix his bow tie innocently.

"Quite a bit actually," River said, the smirk never leaving her face, "Because you are reminded of yourself years ago. Not only that but of how you run off to save those who matter to you," she said, glancing up to see the truth written across his features. "He's getting more independent. And he's stopped you moping. He's growing up, Sweetie. As a parent it makes you both proud and sad to know your child doesn't need guidance all the time anymore. Not to mention, you are so adorable when you are irked." River added, seductively. The Doctor sighed pulling away from River in full irritation but she had nailed everything perfectly. He smirked slightly at her compliment before turning serious again. Their son could be anywhere in the universe, and at any time, tracking him down would be difficult.

"Right. So Ryder went to Emma because of what he saw in her dream," the Doctor said, pacing in front of the quiet group. "The dream could be a ploy to get to myself and Ryder." He placed a finger on his chin, trying to properly filter through his thoughts to find the solution to what was going on. "It could be the Great Intelligence again and they are using the closeness Ryder has with Emma. Or Emma possesses something that they think will cause the end of all mankind." The second thought scared him more than anything. Not for himself but for his son. The Doctor was glad that he was able to hide his true feelings so well. "Her dreams could be a warning of a fixed point…" If that were true then it made matters much worse.

"But if it hasn't happened yet? Isn't it possible for the events to be rewritten," River said, hinting to something much deeper. "You always did say that time could be rewritten," she smirked, knowingly at him. He sighed. Perhaps that was too much of a risk to take but who knew what would occur if they didn't attempt changing the flow of things.

"I did but that does come with a pretty hefty price tag," the Doctor said, grimly. "Right now, we don't have a choice…" He remained silent in deep thought and consideration for what seemed like hours. He gave River a sideways glance, "River, does your Vortex Manipulator still work?" He asked solemnly. That was the only way to get to the Oswald household.

River smirked seductively at him as she put the beginning coordinates into the vortex manipulator. "I'm already on it, Sweetie. I just need the exact point in time that we need to go to," she said, still amazing the Doctor with how she was always ten steps ahead of him. It was one of the things that had attracted him to her. "So, do you have the exact time?" Her hazel eyes met the Doctor's inquiring an answer.

The Doctor mulled over the time needed before answering. The last thing they needed was to be five hundred years off course. "Yes, July fifteenth two thousand and thirty," he said, quickly getting down to business. River typed in the coordinates, deep down she figured the TARDIS would help him reach his destination as best she could, given that he was flying solo for the first time, but had a niggling worry he'd be pulled away to thwart a Dalek invasion or something.

After all of the confirmed data was in the manipulator, River held out her arm for the Doctor to take. "Give us a kiss, let's go make sure he's there and if he was followed by anything unexpected." The Doctor stood in his spot for a moment thinking of River's previous words. Time could be rewritten but there was always a chance that it wouldn't turn out how it should.

"Doctor, pardon me but do you think it wise to do this? Rewriting a fixed time is rather dangerous." As Madam Vastra spoke a concerned sense of serious respect rang clearly in her voice. "Who knows what the girl's dreams truly mean. Ryder is still too young to fully grasp the dangers of what you do." The Time Lord averted his eyes, knowing that she had spoken the truth. Ryder was still very innocent as to what time travel was all about but the Doctor played it off as nothing out of the ordinary. The Doctor's silence was his only reply back to her. Deep down, he had the nagging feeling that Ryder was in for a very bumpy ride. Depending on what the fixed event was, it could cause an unbearable ache to rent through Ryder's bleeding soul.

"Ryder is still young, yes, but maybe this is the universe's way of a chance to fix something that can be fixed," the Doctor said, ignoring the gruesome turning in his stomach that said otherwise. "My son doesn't deserve to go through what I have. Yes, it was wishful thinking but I don't want him to be like me." The Doctor regretted ever taking Ryder from the blissful life as Harry Potter. The young man deserved so much better than this.

"You did warn him that Emma could die or be forced to leave was a possibility at some point. We both know that no one truly stays forever," Madam Vastra said, trying to meet the man's eyes. The Doctor faced her, revealing the true pain that resided within him. He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair.

"For my son, Emma should stay forever and never fade into the woodworks," the Doctor said with conviction. "To always be there to mould him into something better and guide him." No one knew that had been his deepest desire for himself. With every new companion, the Doctor would hope that maybe they would be the one that wouldn't leave. That desire became only for his son.

"Even if Emma doesn't leave for years, what happens when she becomes old? When age takes its course? The sort of companion you want for Ryder would have to be another Time Lord," Madam Vastra sighed, grimly. "You know it as well as I do. How fair is it to allow him to believe in a misguided fairytale? That is a fate much worse than losing your greatest love. Nothing is forever except a Time Lord. Something you should know quite well." She left him to mull over her last words. The Doctor refused to accept her words as truth. It had been the one thing that he kept running from, also his greatest fear. It was better this way and no one else understood the reasons why.

"Sweetie, we need to leave," River said softly pulling the Doctor out of his thoughts. He faced the reminder of the last thing that he just lost but for now he was going to bask in the light of having one love there again. He nodded as he stepped up to River again.

"Strax, I want you to stay here with Vastra and Jenny in case Ryder does return," the Doctor said firmly, "If he does, use the psychic paper to contact me." The three nodded obediently acknowledging how important it was. In a blink of an eye, the Doctor and River vanished into thin air.

Clara woke up instantly as the familiar whooshing sound of the TARDIS landing somewhere outside of the house. An extreme wave of relief washed over her at the thought that the Doctor had heard her message but she reserved some concern of the sound coming from an unknown enemy. The woman slowly climbed out of bed and crossed the room to see who was there. All Clara could hear, as she made her way down the moonlit hallway, was the incredibly loud thumping of her heart in her ears**.** Out of habit, Clara peeked into all three children's rooms to make sure they were all there and alright.

However, her heart sped up immensely when she saw an outline of a person standing by Emma's bed. "Who are you?" Clara demanded sharply and flicked on the light. Now, she could actually see the person, Ryder turned around to face her. Worry and fear riddled his features, "Ryder?" Clara was confused for only a moment and found herself wondering if the Doctor was there too. Emma suddenly woke up gasping for air as if she had been running for her life. The young woman looked around dazed and not sure where she was.

Emma spotted Ryder and instead of greeting him with love, it was of deep suspicion. "Who are you? What do you want?" Emma demanded of the young man not even recognizing him at all. He forgot that Emma hadn't seen him since his previous regeneration.

"Emma, love, it's me…It's Ryder, I regenerated." Ryder carefully approached the side of her bed, not wanting to frighten her more than she already was. The green-eyed boy reached out automatically to touch her hands, but she pulled them away from him without even thinking. "Emma, let me show you it's me.." The young man persisted.

How a perfect stranger was able to stay so gentle when dealing with all this upset was beyond her...but before she could pull back again, he'd clasped her hands in his own. He placed both hands on each side of his chest, he began to tap the back of her hands in the rythym of both hearts beating. As he did so, Emma felt real comfort, true peace...calm... And all with a simple touch... Ryder was the only person who could cause those emotions inside of her like this. Her eyes widened when she met his familiar green eyes. His eyes…It was her Ryder…yes, he looked very different but she could feel the same spirit in him. All he could focus on was assuring his truest love that he was there. The young Time Lord gathered her in his arms feeling her trembling while he subtly looked Emma over for any injuries. He calmed slightly once he could see that Emma wasn't in any physical danger. For the moment all that he could do was to take a deep breath and just sit with her. His hearts slowed marginally, closer to normal, but he couldn't be completely calm with Emma in distress, even if it was just because of a dream. A small niggling thought reminded him he'd have to return to Paternoster Row and face his father's anger at taking the TARDIS, but he didn't care about that right now. He just wanted to be there for Emma.

Once Emma's sensations began to catch up to her, she clung to Ryder sobbing and shaking in his arms. "Ryder, oh my gosh, Ryder." She whispered over and over, assuring herself he was really there. The dream had ended…he wasn't petrified in stone. She only wanted to hold him, hear his voice, and feel his presence to confirm that this was real.

Ryder pulled her closer in efforts to calm her uneasy spirit down. "Yes, it's me…I'm here, I'm here," he said, laying his chin on her head as he gently rocked the young woman.

Like a child, Emma cuddled into his lap and listened to the sweet, calming lullaby of his dual heartbeats…_1, 2, 3, 4. 1, 2, 3, 4. 1, 2, 3, 4_ they echoed in her mind like a haunting mantra that allowed her to escape from her fears. The young man, though two hundred years old by now, was her safe haven.

Emma's body finally began to relax causing her breathing to even out. "Thank you." She reached up to kiss his cheek. "Thank you for being here for me." Emma said with full appreciation, she giggled while she ran her fingers through his newly ginger hair. "So, a ginger now, eh?" She said, putting Ryder's internal fears about her feelings changing to rest. "It fits you much better than the windblown just off the broom look." Ryder softly kissed the palm of her hand as she cupped his cheek.

"My dad was rather irked that I was a ginger on the first go and he hasn't been ginger yet." Ryder said, half laughing. The Doctor still hadn't let it go after three months. Emma suddenly perked up at the mention of his father.

"Where is your father? Back in the TARDIS?" Emma asked curiously, usually the Doctor was the first in the door. If he wasn't there then how did Ryder get there? "Wait, Ryder, what are you doing here?" The young woman inquired of the young man out of confusion. Ryder smiled as if nothing was wrong or the fact that he stole the TARDIS.

"No particular reason other than that I wanted to check up on you is all," he said, trying to brush hair out of her face, "Can I make sure my girlfriend is alright?" Emma blushed a bit, partly ashamed for assuming that he had a hidden agenda. It was two years since they had last seen one another and her mother used to say that Time lords sometimes visited their companions. Then something occurred to her, her mum said hours ago that she knew a way to contact the Doctor. Maybe Ryder got the message about her dreams. She stood so suddenly that she startled both Ryder and her mother. Emma couldn't help but to be a little mad at her mother for going against her wishes of not telling the Doctor the truth.

"My mother wrote to you, didn't she? She told you about my dreams," Emma burst out in irritation, she felt so betrayed by one of those she trusted the most. "Did my mum write you?" She asked. "Not that I'm not happy to see you…I just…didn't want to bother you or your dad with some frivolous dreams." She sighed annoyed with herself. Ryder smiled and caressed Emma's cheek, understanding why she wanted to keep the dreams to herself.

"I don't care if you come to me about something ridiculous. I rather you come to me than waiting until it turns into something much more concerning," He said, truly lovingly as he placed his forehead on hers'. Emma appreciated his sincerity and honesty; it made her respect him so much more. He was right; this was something that she couldn't hide much longer.

Clara watched the couple, knowing that they were true soul mates. Everything pointed to that fact down to Emma being the one to assist Ryder in the Harry Potter world. Even before that when Clara met both Time Lords seventeen years ago before the three had gone to the Doctor's tomb, on a planet called Trenzalore, where Clara jumped into his timeline to save him from himself. Shortly after, Clara had travelled with the two men for some time before revealing that she was pregnant with Emma. The Doctor reluctantly let her go home to stay after asking her whether she knew the father of her child. The then young woman avoided a direct answer by saying that the father was away at the time for his job. Clara knew that the Doctor only pretended to believe her. There were days after she said her goodbyes, when she wondered if she would ever see the Doctor again, not knowing that the baby within her would start traveling alongside the Doctor almost eighteen years later.

The bedroom door flung open behind Clara, causing Ryder to protectively stand in front of Emma with his screwdriver out in front of him. Clara mimicked his actions by standing next to him in the same position. Ryder gulped nervously and lowered his arm when he saw his father standing in the doorway. His expression was that of complete disappointment and frustration. The man stormed into the room totally oblivious to the women in the room.

"Just because you are ginger doesn't mean you get to steal _my_ TARDIS! What were you thinking stealing my TARDIS when you barely know how to fly her? Are you bloody mental?" The Doctor shouted, "Do you know how many paradoxes you could have created? Don't answer that! A lot! That was the stupidest thing you could ever have done! And believe me, I know about doing stupid things!" Emma felt partly responsible for Ryder choosing to steal the TARDIS. She was the reason he had done it after all.

"That you do, Sweetie," River said from behind the man smirking dangerously. It was odd for Clara to see River there in the flesh, considering the last time the women met was during the conference call to discuss a prophecy about the Doctor going to Trenzalore. River then had just been an echo of her former self.

Ryder broke his silence and returned the rebuttal. "Oh, I forgot, you were the only one allowed to fly the TARDIS. My girlfriend needed help! What was I supposed to do? Just wait to see what happens? Do nothing like you have been doing?" Ryder was instantly on the defensive. "Just because you sit and sulk all the time, doesn't mean I have to! And I piloted her just fine and was going to return a minute after I left!" The Doctor glared at him in quiet fury, Ryder didn't care about what messes he caused. The Doctor had his reasons for isolating himself.

River cleared her throat in efforts to defuse the growing tension between father and son. "So, you flew her?" River's voice said, impressed and somewhat relieved that her son was able to arrive at the appropriate destination. Then again, the TARDIS probably guided him the same way she had been shown to fly the old girl.

"Yeah," Ryder was a bit thrown off that his mum wasn't cold, quiet, or mad that he'd left Dad without the TARDIS. "I flew her here without any problems." He rubbed Emma's back absently, hoping the adults were more worried-mad than actually angry at him for stealing the TARDIS. His father didn't show any signs of letting up on his burning anger.

River smiled proudly and kissed her son's forehead. "About time you learned how to fly the family car," she said and caused the Doctor to stare at her in open-mouthed shock. She hugged him tightly before smiling at her husband, amused by his rage. Ryder looked down, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably. He felt the same way as he had when he and Ron had flown the Weasleys' flying Ford Angelia to Hogwarts: completely guilt ridden…

"Thanks, Mum…" He said quietly, still avoiding his parents' faces. "I guess.." He could hear the Doctor sputtering in his confused shock, not even sure what to say about River's immediate approval of their son's rebellious behaviors.

"You-he stole her!" The Doctor said finally managed to say thoroughly outraged by her calmness. River rolled her eyes and faced him with her hands on her hips. The Doctor wasn't going to break this time; he had every right to be angry.

River stepped up and innocently placed her hands on his chest. "Sweetie, there wasn't any damage. He planned to bring her back to a minute after he left." River said, toying seductively with the hairs on the back of the Doctor's neck. The Doctor ignored the tingling that ran through him from her touch. He had to stand firm! He had to show Ryder that stealing **_his_** TARDIS was not acceptable. River lightly kissed his lips and continued to try to distract him from being angry. More important things were at stake.

Now irritated, the Doctor untangled himself from his lover's grip. "Hallucinogenic lipstick won't work this time, my dear," he smirked coyly at her. She laughed softly, pulling him back to her, "But it was worth the try," he said, seductively. He got lost in her eyes and forgot that they weren't alone.

"You know me all too well, don't you?" River smiled amorously with a mischievous tone. The Doctor returned the mischievous glance before the reality of what was going on dawned on him. He cursed at himself for allowing River to overpower him like she always did. If he was honest with himself, he enjoyed it to a point. He adjusted his bow tie and immediately got down to the reason that they were all there.

"So, night terrors and yes your mother told me everything," The Doctor said in thought, tapping the screwdriver on his chin. He began to scan everything in the room and tapping on each wall in order to find if the source of the girl's dreams had been planted within the quarters. "Have the other children been having the same dream?" he asked while inspecting the window. He needed to know why Emma was being singled out or if the dream went to child to child. Emma shook her head in response.

"No, as far as I know, I'm the only one having them," Emma said quietly. "Always the same one but Ryder doesn't regenerate in my dreams." The Doctor began to pace across the room, trying to come up with any possible leads. He faced them solemnly, placing a finger on his lip.

"Why the same one, though? It could be a warning but of what?" The Doctor mused out loud and marched up to Emma. "If Ryder doesn't regenerate in your dreams then whoever is causing you to have them, is only feeding off what you consciously know to be true. Before now, you hadn't seen Ryder since months before his first regeneration. When did the dream start?" The Doctor interrogated her, also searching her eyes for anything else that she was hiding about what was happening.

She swore she was reliving the first time she had met the Doctor at the Tylers', Emma bit her lip in uncertainty of how much to tell him or how much the Time Lord already knew. "The dream started shortly after the whole Potter thing…" Emma once again curled back into Ryder's arms for comfort. "But it's just a dream." She tried to lie but knew the Doctor could see through it.

"A dream doesn't haunt someone every night for almost two years unless it was a warning that needed to be sent to the closest person to the intended target or the dream could be something similar to the Telltale Heart…overwhelming guilt.." He said, reading between the lines and continued to pace the floor. He thought back to what would have happened with Francesca Latimer. The dreams that Franny had were intended for the earth. A warning of an impending take over….So was the dream a warning to him through the use of an innocent girl's mind?

"Excuse _you_." Emma shot. "I'm telling you everything I know, so I'm not guilty of anything, thank you very much." She crossed her arms and glared at the Doctor. Without any kind of a reply the Doctor walked out of the room to investigate some more. Something didn't feel right to the Time Lord but he couldn't put his finger on what was out of place. He scanned the other children's rooms for anything.

Emma sighed and leaned into Ryder, who whispered an apology for his father into her ear. It scared her how right the Doctor was though. There must have been a deeper reason for the dreams to be happening to just her and not her siblings. Her baby sister, of only seven, darted into the room. "Mummy, there's a strange man in my room," Oswin said, holding on to her mother's hand for security and pointing out into the hallway as the Doctor walked back into the room, inspecting a baby doll. Moments later he tossed the doll aside causing it to make a faint crying sound. Of course the Doctor was the strange man Oswin had been referring to.

"Right, there isn't any kind of psychic pollen around? Of course not, but that doesn't mean that there aren't telepathic traces hidden," The Doctor continued to think aloud before noticing that all eyes were directly on him. "What?" he asked confused by the look that Clara was giving him. She knelt down beside her little girl with a reassuring smile.

"That is just the Doctor, Oswin, he is just looking for something," She kissed her daughter's forehead softly. The Doctor was still clearly confused as to what he had done to the child. The small dark haired girl turned to survey the Doctor for a moment as if she knew him.

"The same Doctor from your always true stories?" Oswin asked curiously and almost excitedly. Clara laughed quietly, admiring the child's pure innocence.

"Yes, the very same Doctor from my stories," Clara said, she watched a truly elated smile appear on Oswin's face while she slowly approached the man as if to be sure that he was real. He fit the full description that her mother told the children, even down to his red bow tie. Giving in to the little girl's intrigued investigation, the Time Lord knelt down with a kind smile on his face. It was Amelia Pond all over again, which tore at his hearts somewhat.

"Hello there, Oswin," the Doctor greeted the child softly. "I do apologize if I woke you, but I was looking for something very important in your room," he said sincerely to her. She unexpectedly wrapped her little arms around the man and smiled up at him. This simple and oh-so-innocent gesture of a child warmed both of the Doctor's hearts making him embrace the little girl in return.

"It's okay," Oswin said softly, with pure understanding, before her eyebrows furrowed in deep concern. "Are you here to help Emma with her dreams?" She tilted her head slightly to the side as hope floated from her voice. The Doctor tenderly brushed some of her hair behind her ear, soaking up the sweet gentleness that she possessed, much like Amelia had.

"Yes, I'm going to help your sister figure out why she is having such horrible dreams," the Doctor truthfully promised the child. Oswin whispered a word of thanks before returning to her mother's side. The Doctor sighed while he thought about how the Ponds had never had the chance to have something like this. That thought made him more determined to keep his promise to find out the source behind the dreams. Another young voice suddenly spoke from the doorway causing the Doctor to come back to reality.

"Mum, what is going on? Why is there a blue police box in the garden?" asked a boy curiously while entering the room. From what the Doctor gathered the boy was about eleven years old and bore a slight resemblance to Jack Harkness. The same narrow face and striking eyes.

"It's the Doctor, Dylan, the Doctor from Mummy's stories!" Oswin squealed excitedly, yanking the boy over to where the Doctor stood smiling. The Time Lord expected the same response from the second child as his sibling but only received a very calculating look. As Dylan crossed his arms across his chest and carefully eyed the Doctor, he looked even more like the 51st century con man.

"That is not the Doctor probably some homeless person," Dylan said, irritated and still suspicious of the Time Lord. "Besides, the Doctor isn't real, Oswin," he said annoyedly to his little sister, who stepped up to him wearing a look that could kill. Oswin definitely had her mother's determination and fearlessness.

"He is real and I know he is," Oswin said firmly. "That is the Doctor; you are just blind to the truth." She added not backing down at all. The Doctor appreciated the little girl's effort in defending him the best she could. Dylan continued to glare at her, trying to intimate his little sister. However, Oswin would not budge an inch.

"How do you know that he is really the Doctor?" Dylan asked, deep scepticism rang out in his voice. "The Doctor is just a story. There isn't a real Time Lord. Grow up! He is just some homeless person that lives in this police box," he concluded harshly. Emma went up to Oswin and wrapped her arms around her baby sister as tears welled up in Oswin's eyes.

"Yes, I do live in the TARDIS but I am not homeless! Thank you very much!" The Doctor said, deeply offended by the boy's words. He couldn't shake the feeling of something familiar pertaining to Clara's son. Clara's lips thinned to the point where they almost disappeared into nothing.

"Dylan Prescott Oswald!" Clara said, in a firmly stern tone. "You do not say those things to your little sister like or be rude." she said, placing her hands on her hips. The usage of his full name caught the young boy off guard, not to mention embarrassed him as well. He ran an uneasy hand through his hair. "Now, I want you to apologize right this instant." Dylan opened his mouth to protest but shut it rather quickly when Clara gave him the look that she meant business.

Dylan grumbled his disapproval under his breath as he turned to face the tearstained face of Oswin, "I'm sorry that I told you that the Doctor wasn't real," he said half-heartedly. He heard his mother clearing her throat to warn him that he was not done with his requested apology. He sighed, turning back to face the Doctor. "I'm sorry I said that you are a pathetic homeless person living in a police box…but honestly who lives in a police box?" He added in disgust, his mother shook her head as she gave up on any hope of a real apology from the young boy.

"I'm not a pathetic homeless person and living in the TARDIS is pretty cool, if you ask me," the Doctor said, still slightly upset and folded his arms across his chest.

"Dad, Vastra said you'd seen this before?" Ryder asked in efforts to get his father back on track of figuring out the source of Emma's dreams. Sadly, the Doctor could be a bit too easily distracted and forgetful about the important things. The Doctor immediately snapped back into his turning thoughts. Clara's eyes suddenly got huge with a powerful spark of realization hit her. How could she have forgotten what happened in 1892. The Great Intelligence could have been using another psychic form to be able to get into Emma's subconscious.

"Doctor, we have seen the same thing with the snowmen and Dr. Simeon…." Clara said suddenly breaking her silence. "Maybe they have discovered a way to turn you and Ryder to stone. They are using Emma's dreams to see how they could finally defeat you." She concluded, now fearing even more for her daughter's safety. Everyone except the Doctor turned to Clara. The woman hid her inner turmoil from everyone else. The Doctor pointed to her with his Screwdriver while pacing the room.

"Yes, I'm afraid that might be the case, but I'm looking for any other possible cause besides the Great Intelligence," the Doctor replied as he continued his pacing. It seemed to be the only possibility but in truth it could have been any number of unknown forces out to destroy the universe.

"But what do they want with Emma?" Ryder asked concerned, pulling Emma closer to him. The young woman had to be the key to something that could be a great advantage for the enemy. Why else would they be trying so hard to get to her? The Doctor chewed on his lip, barely meeting his son's eyes.

"Don't know yet, working on that, too." The Doctor continued pacing. "Last time I saw something like this, the Great Intelligence was trying to take over the world…" He tossed his screwdriver in the air, thinking.

"When I had to jump into your timeline to save you from yourself," Clara said gravely, remembering the experience, that was still fresh in her mind, of how she had met his previous regeneration and companion at the time, Rose Tyler. Emma had told Clara how Rose's family had taken care of her in the Potterverse. However, Rose didn't have any memories of Emma being with her family. The Doctor explained that when the second Pandorica erased the Potter realms, anyone who was not an original part of that universe would be forgotten by everyone else. Emma had never truly existed there causing her to be removed from the Tylers' minds. Luckily, both women and their Doctors had been able to fix the points where the Doctor's timeline had gone horribly wrong. The Doctor ran a hand through his hair as if to keep his tired brain going.

"Yes, right." The Doctor pointed at Clara without looking at her, continuing to pace and think. "So, is the Great Intelligence behind this, and if so, what does it want?" He caught his sonic screwdriver and scanned Emma's eyes briefly. He stepped up to her. There had to been something. Something he was missing…but what?

"I don't know…" she said softly, trying to come up with an answer. Honestly, she wanted to know the very same thing. Maybe she was the easiest way to hurt the Doctor and Ryder. The Doctor sighed as he scanned her again then stared at the screwdriver. He placed it in his coat pocket.

"'Course not. Wouldn't expect you to. You're just the messenger." He smiled at Emma and patted her shoulder. "Clara!" He spun around to point at her. "How similar are Emma's dreams to what the little girl was dreaming in 1892?" He questioned her.

"Not much, but both dreams are almost prophetic in a way. Franny's dream predicted the return of her former governess as an ice person. Emma's predicts you and Ryder somehow being defeated. Also Emma will have an unknown source inside of her," Clara said, explaining it as the thoughts came to her. "Franny never called out for anyone in her sleep," she concluded grimly. Her eyes flickered over to her daughter's secretly hoping that the dreams would remain dreams and not become reality.

"Then it might not be the Great Intelligence, or it might be the Great Intelligence with some new tricks." The Doctor frowned at the readout on his screwdriver. "But who could be working with them." He shut his eyes to focus on what they had so far. They were closer to an answer.

River spoke up next but the Doctor heard the true grimness in her voice. "Maybe it has been a warning from the TARDIS," River suggested, this made the Doctor suddenly face her with his eyes wary and narrow. In three strides he was next to her, his hands firm yet gentle on her shoulders. He looked her directly in the eyes, her beautiful, impish, brilliant eyes. He looked at her expectantly as if she knew something more then she let on. He wanted her to say it…say what she knew.

"A warning from the TARDIS to Emma? Makes sense, but about what? But why and how? Especially when she hasn't looked into the Heart of the TARDIS?" The Doctor tapped his screwdriver to his chin as he reviewed the events of Emma's dream. "The Heart of the TARDIS." He gasped and took a step back. "Oh, why didn't I realize?" He knelt in front of Ryder and Emma. "Emma, the golden- the golden tears- in your dream, it hurt, yeah?" Emma bit her lip and looked at Ryder nervously. Her boyfriend gave her a reassuring nod and a gentle squeeze of her hand. She couldn't hide it any longer.

"Yes, I never felt that much pain before ever…it felt like my head was on fire," Emma nodded and rubbed her arms uncomfortably in the memory of the pain. Ryder kissed her temple in understanding. The Doctor stood; his mind was racing to formulate a plan to stop the impending events. "But a voice, a woman's voice in my head said to use the light within myself to save you and Ryder," Emma said in confusion. "You two were turned into stone…"

"If it is a prophetic warning from the TARDIS then that means she is going to look into the Heart of the TARDIS." The Doctor whispered, glancing at everyone in the room. "Until we can figure out how to stop Emma's dream from happening, she's banned from the TARDIS." Ryder's hearts sunk as he heard his father's words. Ban Emma from the TARDIS? Ryder thought in complete horror but then again what was worse?

"What!?" Ryder said, shocked that his father would suggest ever banning a companion from the TARDIS. The two teens looked at one another in disbelief, how long would they be separated for? "But Dad-!" Ryder hugged Emma.

"Just until we figure this out," The Doctor urged them. "Emma, whatever happens, you mustn't look into the Heart of the TARDIS. A dear friend of mine did, and it nearly killed her. You're not permanently banned, just for now." He took a deep breath; thinking of Rose Tyler still made him slightly emotional. "Now, do you know how Ryder and I were turned to stone?"

"No, I just found you two that way with your screwdrivers aimed in front of you as if you were attacking something," Emma said, confused. The Doctor rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to make sense of it all.

"Turning to stone, what could cause us to turn to stone? Medusa? A basilisk or cockatrice?" The Doctor ran a hand through his floppy hair. "Must have been clever to defeat us both, possibly a perception filter?"

Ryder and Emma shrugged. "Medusa seems to be the only thing that fits," Ryder said, following in his father's musings. "She did, according to Greek and Roman myths, have the ability to turn those who met her gaze into stone." The Doctor sighed now worried that their efforts to find out the truth wouldn't be enough.

"Do you know where?" River asked. The Doctor shook his head. He paused for a moment to think back to the dream to make sure something didn't pop out. All he remembered was the smell of Earth and the dampness of being in a cave.

"Not specifically but it looked like Underground." He glanced at Emma. "You know how, sometimes in dreams, you just know things? Did any of that happen in these dreams, stuff you just know to be true?" The young woman bit her lip in concentration, details flashed before her eyes. The voice was all the stood out to her nothing else.

"Just the woman's voice and the burning in my head. Everything was black..." Emma said, thinking back on it. "In my dream…I died…" she whispered the last two words painfully. "Time ran out…" Ryder didn't want to admit that it scared him. "I felt so helpless...you needed me to save you but...I ended up failing you both," she said, softly her voice trembling slightly.

"You won't." The Doctor and Ryder said in unison, Ryder kissing the side of Emma's head. "We're going to figure this out." The Doctor assured her. "We'll make sure it doesn't come true. So: the woman's voice? What did she say?" The Doctor asked. Could it have possibly been his TARDIS? A telepathic creature of some sort? If it was his TARDIS, then how was she able to communicate with Emma. As far as he knew what happened to Donna never happened to Emma.

"She said to not to be afraid of the light and to let it guide me," Emma said, still reflecting on it in focus. "That it could help you…" she said, feeling the same desperation from her dreams. He stepped closer to her, now more concerned.

"What light?" The Doctor continued his intense interrogation. "How could it help us from being turned into stone?" Emma tried to focus harder to find any other useful information but her mind was beyond exhausted. Ryder rubbed Emma's arms in case recalling her bad dream was emotional or something.

"The light within me," she sighed, feeling useless; unable to recall much of what she had seen. "I don't know…just to use the light within me." The Doctor laid his chin on his fist; the heart of the TARDIS was powerful enough to bring Captain Jack Harkness back from the dead after battling the Daleks. He didn't doubt that it could free someone within a stone prison. Was the TARDIS giving Emma instructions on what to do when the time came? Preparing them for things to come?

"The golden light?" The Doctor grilled the girl some more. They were finally making a breakthrough on what the girl's dreams meant. Ryder saw how drained Emma was starting to look from the stress of everything.

"You can do this, Emma. Do you want to take a break, have a cuppa?" Ryder held his girlfriend close. His dad tended to forget about stuff like other people's emotions sometimes...

"I think a cuppa is a good idea," Clara declared, heading to the kitchen to put the kettle on. "Come along, you two," she called to Oswin and Dylan. Both children quietly followed after her.

"I died...maybe it can't be stopped," Emma said, her glance avoided the Time Lords' eyes. Ryder thought the same but put it out of his mind.

"Of course it can be stopped." The Doctor soothed. "It'll all be okay, you're gonna be the Queen of Okay." He was hoping that he was right but if he was wrong…the consequence would be very grim.

"Pretty soon the tea will be ready and we can all take a deep breath and relax." Ryder hugged Emma tight. Maybe it couldn't be stopped, but he was going to try his damnedest to stop it anyway.


	3. Cyber Invasions

**Dear Readers,**

**Thank you for being so patient with chapter posts! I also edited and reposted the previous two chapters so that the story flows better and to so choppy. I have been busy with my trip to Marble Falls, TX for a Harry Potter Camp. Where I got the blessed chance to met the amazing person who has been helping me with this story, Stephani Dudrak in person! She is truly amazing and I am so grateful for her help! I truly hope you like this chapter and thank you for all of your support and feed back. Enjoy!**

DJ Vivian

The Doctor allowed the grim silence to fill the room, he began to have more questions to what was being revealed about the meaning behind Emma's dreams. Not only that but time was now running out. Now more was at stake...especially Emma's life. He didn't get it what was he missing? Nothing made any sense when it came to why the oldest friend that he knew was sending Emma dreams. For as far as he knew Emma was not conceived in the TARDIS. Therefore, she couldn't have Time Lord DNA in her. Why did the TARDIS choose her to communicate, someone who had such little connection to the TARDIS. River would have been the ideal choice, her being the Child of The TARDIS. Besides the Time Lords, River had the closest connection to the TARDIS. Maybe all of this was one of Orion's ploys to gain vengeance for his father's death back in the Chamber of Secrets. The Doctor honestly didn't doubt that his grandson had the same level of insanity as the Master. Which made the entire situation more dangerous, if Orion was behind it. Now was just the eerie calm before the storm.

His eyes moved to the two teens on the bed, Madam Vastra's final words found their way back into his head. Had the Doctor allowed Ryder to live in a blissfully deluded fairytale of Emma never leaving his side? Strung the threads of false hope along the young man's hearts only to crush them when the truth happened. It was true, Ryder needed a companion that was just like him in order for him to never lose one. It tore at the Doctor's hearts to see Ryder fighting a losing battle and the immense pain it would end up causing Ryder in the long run. Enviably forced to be like the Doctor broken and jaded. It wasn't fair but for Time Lords nothing was ever fair.

Ryder sat with his arms around Emma, lost in his own thoughts of how to stop Emma's dreams from becoming reality. The young man was unaware that she had laid her head on his shoulder. As much as she hated to admit it, maybe she was meant to die, if it was a prophetic dream. Maybe that was why the TARDIS chose to make Emma the messenger. The TARDIS knew that she was going to die soon. Of course she kept these thoughts to herself, Ryder would be devastated if she told him. In all honestly, she rather meet her doom then the universe lose its protectors.

"We're going to figure this out." Ryder whispered reassuring both her and himself. "I won't let your dream happen." He pulled her closer to him in comfort. There had to be a way to prevent the events of he and his father turning into stone. Also to keep the TARDIS' energy out of Emma. River watched his husband's mind at its best from the doorway. It tore at her every fiber to see her son in so much agony and understood it all too well. It was the same pain that she felt when she was forced by Madame Kovarian, the leader of the Silence, to kill the Doctor. She ended up refusing to due to her love for him and creating a whole new reality. In that reality, the Doctor had become the Soothsayer of Winston Churchill and his companions were spies within Kovarian's order.

River and her parents arranged for the Doctor to be kidnapped by the Silence in order to stop Madame Kovarian and reset reality to its original state. River convinced the Time Lord to marry her on the rooftop of the Silence's headquarters as part of saving the world. Afterwards, he whispered into her ear to look into his eyes to reveal what he truly was. He had switched places with the Teselecta in order to prevent his own predestined death. He went into hiding until moments before River shot the robotic version of himself. The mother in her caused her to want to break her rule about telling future events of Ryder's future wife being fine but she knew better.

The Doctor's mind continued to search for an answer when Ryder suddenly stood up, startling everyone else in the room. "Wait…Dad? Medusa is associated with Ancient Greece and Rome?" He said as inspiration struck him. The Doctor could see the wheels turning in his son's head but remained weary of any suggestions. The younger Time Lord began to pace the room in thought.

"Yes, Ancient Greece is where the legend of Medusa originated from. Ancient Rome just picked up the Greece myths. What're you thinking?" The Doctor asked, half ready to dismiss Ryder's thought as something he already considered. Ryder leaned against the wall and ran his fingers through his hair. His plan had to be clear and without flaws.

"You said that the person causing it could be in this period but what if they are where the myth of Medusa originated from?" Ryder said rapidly, looking between his parents. It was worth a shot, dangerous but worth it in the end. The Doctor stared aft his son with a calculating expression, they have thought of everything else, this was their last resort in order to save Emma.

"The original Medusa?" The Doctor mused as the same excitement of a new discovery. He didn't see a reason why that wouldn't work…It made the most sense and what else could they lose?

"That means we would have to go there, right?" Ryder said more rapidly. "We could be one step ahead whoever is causing all of this. Emma's dreams are helping up by showing us future events." Ryder concluded his theory. River abandoned her spot by the door and moved closer to her son.

"Are you implying simply not going to Ancient Rome?" River asked curious but interested to see if the Doctor would turn down something like this. Then again, River knew he couldn't turn down a good adventure. Ryder shook his head and went back into his bubbling theory.

"We would have to go there because coming to present day would be too predictable, too easy… They want us to go play on their home field. Out of where it is safe and how we find the source of why we will be turned to stone," he said, gaining his father's mannerisms while talking. "Now we will be…a hundred years after Dad left my grandfather to guard the Pandorica, right?" The Doctor nodded still confused on what Ryder was on about.

"About a hundred give or take but if we have to go to Ancient Rome and find Medusa? We'll just leave Emma safe at home, dream can't come true." The Doctor grinned, Emma folded her arms across her chest and a fire in her eyes that could burn holes through anything. She was not going to be treated like some child. Emma knew she had to go and she wasn't about to give up the fight.

"Oh, I am not staying behind so that you can prove yourself," Emma said, finally looking at the Doctor glaring with determination. The Doctor admired her zeal to fight along with him but she didn't seem to see how dangerous this was for her. There the Doctor saw her mother shining through Emma.

"I know you feel like you are being excluded but understand this is the only way to protect you. Especially if you're not there, the dream can't come true." The Doctor explained to her, placing his hands on herd shoulder. He looked intently into her hazel eyes. He hugged her briefly as the feeling that he got with every companion washed over him. "You are a rare star that has to be protected." He whispered in her ear with the tenderness of a father.

"But one thing though, if she's not there, doesn't mean that you two will be safe either," River corrected him firmly. Deep down the Doctor hated how River was always his voice of reason. "You could still lock eyes with Medusa and be turned to stone. Just Emma won't be there." The Doctor ignored how problematic that would be, considering the fact that maybe the energy from the TARDIS seemed to be the only likely thing that could free the Time Lords from their stone prisons.

"Therefore, we remain in stone for all time," Ryder continued on his mother's thought. "Meaning that we need Emma then in order to escape…Someone has every loose end tied up…without Emma we are doomed…" He surrounded himself with different scenarios of escape, none of which were very helpful. There had to be a way around it all. Suddenly, the Doctor began to smile widely and with new excitement.

"Ancient Rome! Of course! Why didn't I see it before!" He said, smacking himself repeatedly on the forehead, "The Pandorica is still there, which means a certain Centurion is there! Not just any Centurion, oh no but the last Centurion," the Doctor said, becoming more excited. Emma, however, was now confused as to why they would need a Centurion. Not only that but could he be trusted? "Rory the Roman!" The Doctor clapped his hands and jumped up. He dashed quickly over to Ryder and grabbed his head to kiss his son happily on the head. The younger Time Lord stared at the Doctor as if the man had completely gone off the deep end. That's it! You are a perfect genius! _Utter genius!_ Of course, you are! You are _my_ son," The Doctor exclaimed, excitedly. Ryder watched slowly becoming deeply confused and lost by his father's behavior. The Doctor merely beamed at him. "The best man for the job!" Emma remained puzzled as to who this person was or how the Doctor knew him.

"Wait…You mean Rory Pond?" Emma said, as the pieces slowly came together. The young woman had traveled with the Ponds and the Time Lords in the Potterverse. And that was the only Rory that she knew traveled with the Doctor.

"The one in the same," the Doctor answered enthusiastically. River chuckled softly and shook her head.

"And it's Rory Williams, not that you'd know it listening to him." She jerked her head at the Doctor. "Rory Williams was my father. That whole story is a doozy but he spent time as an Auton duplicate of a Roman, pretty complicated, and I'm pretty sure it's part of an aborted timeline." River explained to Emma with a grin. The Doctor stuck out his tongue at his wife in rebellion.

"May I remind you that your mother gave you the name Pond. She said 'Melody Williams' was a name of a geography teacher, whereas 'Melody Pond' evoked a superhero. Besides 'Pond' is cooler! I mean Ryder Pond, okay maybe not…should have went with Flynn Ryder." The Doctor said, scratching his chin and shrugging nonchalantly. "And Amy sometimes calls him 'Rory Pond'." River to roll her eyes and shake her head.

"Tea!" Clara called that tea was ready and they all went to the kitchen. Why? Why Emma? Why would his TARDIS choose her, only tangentially related to the ship? The teens were hand in hand, Ryder was honestly scared to let her go. The possibility of her dreams coming true seemed more likely. Emma rubbed circles on his hand with her hand. As long as he was safe, she could do it. She could go through all that pain and dying if it meant the Time lords would live. She accepted the cup of tea from her mum.

"That means I have to go with you it is my dream, I've dreamt it loads of times, I might be able to tell if something's off. Or, if I stick with you, you won't be alone for Medusa to turn to stone." She had to be able to help somehow, to stop them being petrified. The Doctor didn't answer her, knowing what she was trying to do.

"Emma has a point, Dad, she has dreamt about what could possibly happen to us." Ryder said as if the choice was obvious. The Doctor glared at his son in betrayal of Ryder siding with the young woman. He couldn't allow Ryder to be careless due to emotional attachment.

"Still banned from the TARDIS." The Doctor said matter-of-factly. "I'm sorry, Emma, but until we know that your nightmare isn't going to come true, we can't take that risk. What if you coming with us to investigate this is a catalyst for it happening?" The Doctor said, taking a cup, "Thank you, Clara." Emma stood her ground she knew that she had to face her destiny.

Emma turned to the Doctor and fixed him a glare. "If it is, then it is but I can't stay here and allow you to be forever doomed," Emma said, the Doctor for a moment thought he heard her mother from almost eighteen years ago. "Maybe what happens in my dreams is set in stone and can't be stopped despite what we do to stop it. I am willing to face my destiny. Whatever that may entail, including my death." Her eyes said so much more, which caused the Doctor to see the full determination inside of her and that she wasn't going to give up the fight.

"You want to face your destiny? You don't even know what that means. But if you think you are so prepared then you can come with." The Doctor rubbed his head, searching for an answer. He spun to face Emma. "You can come with us but you must do whatever I tell you. No arguing. Oh, and no wandering off, that used to be Rule 1, why did I change it from rule 1?... Anyway, you stick close and do as I say, understand? When we do find Rory you will stay with him at all times." He was not going to budge on this negotiation, Emma had already broken him down once. "No ifs, ands, or buts." He added firmly.

"So in other words, I have to be babysat and ignore what has to be done. If you want Rory to keep me safe then have me come with you when you go to Rome! If I stay here, what's the difference if I'm with Rory or not? Medusa's in Rome!" Emma crossed her arms, a slight feat with a hot cup of tea."I'm not being babysat." The Doctor groaned as the losing battle went to another level. He once again tried to reason with the stubborn girl.

"It's not babysitting, it's…" The Doctor searched for the right words, the words that would make Emma both safe AND happy... Emma raised an eyebrow waiting for an answer. "It's being well guarded." What he thought would be appeasing to Emma.

"It's being babysat, I'm a month away from being eighteen. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself," Emma said with fire in her voice. More of her mother was coming out through Emma as she spoke. This made it even more difficult for the Doctor to keep a hardened front.

"Yes, yes, completely capable, in all the situations you know, but this is incredibly more dangerous than you can imagine!" The Doctor tried to explain. _Argh, these human adolescent rebellious streaks! _"Do not argue with me, Pond-I mean..don't argue!" The Doctor briefly saw Amy in her place. "He'll protect you there along with the Pandorica," he said, firmly in thinking he left little room for a rebuttal. "That way you are out of harm's way."

"I see I didn't miss too much." Clara whispered to River, passing her a cup. River smiled and nodded, but glanced at the Doctor, worried about his slip-up.

"I- what?" Emma spluttered. "And if you do leave me back to keep me safe, what's keeping you safe from getting turned to stone?" Emma wasn't going to stay silent about this. The Doctor took a sip of his tea before replying to her inquiry.

"We will figure that out when the time comes," the Doctor said, calmly. "What if you are turned instead?" The Doctor said, intently looking into her hazel eyes. Emma turned away to avoid the true question that remained unspoken.

"Better me than you! I'm just a pathetic human, so if I die, it wouldn't matter! If you die, who will protect the universe? I'm not needed." Her tone was more begging than angry. She knew it was a terrible thing to say, especially with her mum right there, but a human just didn't matter to the universe as much as two Time lords. She set her tea on the table, unable to look the Doctor but especially Ryder in the eye.

The room went completely still as she spoke those words, she didn't care. It was how she truly felt. The Time Lords were worth more in value, "What makes the daughter of the Impossible Girl say that," the Doctor broke the silence that filled the room. "The Girl from Two Universes."

"You're bloody Time lords, you used to save a civilization a week. I'm just a human, I don't matter as much, I'd rather I were turned to stone than you." Emma's volume decreased as she spoke, knowing everyone else in the kitchen disagreed with her. She probably wasn't going to win this argument.

Clara covered her mouth, about to speak, when Ryder firmly declared, "No." He took a deep breath. "Emma, you're so much more than just a human. Your death would matter so much. Incomprehensibly much. More than the deaths of William Shakespeare, Sherlock Holmes, Michael Jackson, and Joanne Rowling combined." He stared at his feet, rubbing her hand with his thumb. "It would matter to me and your mum and Dylan and Oswin…" He near-whispered the last bit. He meant every word and didn't see how Emma was so blind to that fact. Touched by Ryder's words, it still pained Emma, knowing that he was trying to prevent her from doing what she needed to.

"To you and my family, yes, but not to the universe...I'm just one human that is all. You protect the entire universe…" she said, looking into his eyes. "I really don't do much for the universe." She concluded honestly. Ryder hoped that he had gotten through to her.

"Did my dad ever tell you about the most important woman in creation?" Emma shook her head in reply, "She was a temp worker. You can't know you don't grow up to become important to the universe…" Ryder tried to convince her. "You are like the many brilliant stars in the universe, but you are the one that shines the brightest just like Donna Noble." He caressed her cheek, he had never been so canon with her before but it was worth her knowing his deepest secrets. She let a small smile shine before she closed up again.

"But, I can be replaced…Your dad had loads of companions after Donna, right? What keeps this universe at peace can't be replaced," she said, looking at the ground. This caused the Doctor to break his silence again regarding what Emma had just said.

"Yes, I have had many companions after Donna but they have never been forgotten. There are songs about them all over the galaxies that still to this day are sung about their importance to the universe," the Doctor said, remembering the exact words of the Ood before he had regenerated to his current state.

"My dad is right…you can't be replaced by anyone else. But you can't. Emma, "I know you want to help, but I can't bear to see you in pain like that. And looking into the Heart of the TARDIS? You could die. You're not 'just a human', you're so much more…please, Emma." River glanced at her husband knowing what he was thinking. Ryder cupped Emma's face in his hands. "I couldn't bear to lose you. Please, please stay safe, for me." He lifted her chin up and placed his head on her forehead. His father had told him that companions never stayed forever. Emma was different in every way and felt that she was meant to stay for all time. Ryder had completely forgotten about everyone in the room but Emma.

"Oh, Pond…" the Doctor said to himself, sighing sadly. He couldn't help but notice that Ryder and Emma possessed the same deeply felt, unbreakable love that the Ponds had. It made everything harder because when the time came who knew how much Ryder would be destroyed.

River leaned into her husband. "They remind you of Amy and Rory, don't they?" She whispered into his ear. "It's history repeating in the best way through them," she said in sad happiness, missing her parents even more. The Doctor sighed grimly and nodded.

He looked at his son and companion, "Yes, they are so much more like them then I thought," the Doctor said painfully. Ryder continued to stare into Emma's eyes and whispering loving things to her until the front door to the house burst open with a bang, Ryder and Clara moving to protect Emma, the Doctor moving to protect Clara, and River moving to protect Ryder and Emma. The sound of many cannons being fired echoed through the house as large silver metallic people stormed into the house. The head was oval shaped with two extensions coming out from each side of its temples. A large bulky arm was outstretched and a small gun like object on its wrist. Emma stood frozen at the sight, both afraid and curious to what it was. Its eyes were two perfectly rounded holes and the mouth was just a rectangular black hole.

"What is that thing?" Emma asked while Ryder yanked her along and ducking under misaimed lasers. More robots bursted through the dining room and kitchen windows causing glass to fly everywhere.

"That is a Cyberman," Ryder explained, through heavy pants, "That particular kind of Cyberman used to be human. Created to believe that all people must be 'upgraded' to Cyber-form, so that information would never be lost. But causing human physical and emotional weaknesses to be abolished." Emma almost felt sad for the Cybermen, that was a fate much worse than death. Stripped of everything that made them human.

All kinds of anarchy broke loose, the Doctor aimed his sonic screwdriver at the approaching silver nightmare. He barely dodged a shot coming out from the living room. "And you call that a shot? Maybe you are getting a little rusty," the Doctor taunted his enemy. "Ryder, River, get everyone back inside of the TARDIS." He shouted at his two partners. The Doctor's main concern was keeping Ryder and Emma safe. Why were the Cybermen there? Clara had bolted up the stairs as Oswin screams rent through the air.

"Give us the source or you will be deleted," it said in a robotic monotone voice, aiming its arm straight at the Doctor. Relying on quick instincts the Doctor ducked missing another stream of laser. River quickly moved to her husband's side as a Cyberman aimed for Emma.

"Why are you here? What is this source that you need? Why is it so important to who?" The Doctor drilled them. Silence met him in reply, "Oh, so no one is talking now? Come on! Who sent you?" He stepped up to the metal man, his eyes blazing. Ryder moved closer to Emma but prepared to fight at the same time. Silence filled the room while the Doctor continued his stand off with the Cybermen.

"The lord Hades requests we bring him the source, so he can destroy you." The first Cyberman answered, emotionlessly. "The Girl From Two Universes is the source." All eyes went to Emma, who was Hades and what did they want with Emma. This caused the Doctor's mind go into overdrive trying to figure out who their leader was now. He paced in front of them and tapped his screwdriver against his chin in thought. "Hades will rule over everything in this world. The Time Lords will meet the mother of the Angels." The Doctor stopped and faced the robot again. It couldn't have been the Master again because he had died during their last battle in the Chamber of Secrets. There wasn't any way for the Master to resurrect himself this time…So the Doctor thought.

"Tell me who this Hades is." The Doctor demanded, tersely. "What do they want with Emma? What is the source she possesses?" The fires of temper flared up inside of the Doctor, he couldn't let the messengers of this Hades see how this was getting to him. "You can go back to your master with this message, I am not giving up the source. If he wants it so badly then he should come and get it himself. But, believe me it will be hell to get to." He growled threateningly while leering in the Cyberman's face. "If he doesn't know who sent the message…River?"

"You will be deleted." The Cyberman repeated, aiming its gun at the Doctor, who didn't budge from his spot. River beat the Cyberman to the punch.

"Oh, give it a rest." River quipped, shooting the Cyberman in the head repeatedly. The metal man dropped to its knees but firing a few wild shots before collapsing onto the ground. Debris flew through the air as lasers collided with a nearby wall causing Emma to ducked and covered her head. Emma felt Ryder's hand around her waist in efforts to protect her. A stream of lasers grazed passed the side of Ryder's head as they began to run to the back door. The door suddenly opened with a loud bang behind the Doctor and his companions, not sure about who was outside everyone froze in their spots. Both Time Lord stood prepared with their screwdrivers aimed.

To the Doctor's surprise, Captain Jack Harkness entered the room, holding two guns out in front of him. "Well, hello to you too, old friend." Jack said, smirking at the two screwdrivers aimed at his head. The Doctor slowly lowered his screwdriver, wondering what Jack was doing inside Clara's house, "Before we talk about old times over tea, why don't we get rid of our wonderfully unwelcomed guests." he said sardonically. His usually bright eyes were narrowed dangerously. "You picked the wrong party to crash, boys." Jack said, cocking his guns. The Doctor pushed the two teenagers in the stairwell just before Jack fired at the silver terrors. The four Cybermen in front exploded on the bullet's impact and started a butterfly effect through out the rest of their army.

Silence soon followed the last blast, Ryder had used his body to shield Emma from the metal debris that flew towards them but River Song seemed very impressed by Jack's shooting talent. The sound of clanging metal filled the house as one of the wounded Cybermen started to reboot. "Delete. De-e-e-elete." The Cyberman tried to fire at Emma, and would've hit if River's bullet's hadn't gone in it's eyeholes and affected its circuitry. "Upgrade in pro-o-o-o-o-ogress." River shot at it again then blew out the smoking barrel.

"Oooh, nice shot!" Jack said, throughly impressed by her aim, "I don't know if we have met but I'm Captain Jack Harkness." he said with a flirtatious wink and kissed her hand. River returned the slightly seductive gesture, causing the Doctor to roll his eyes in mild jealousy.

"River Song and believe me it has been my pleasure to make your acquaintance, Jack Harkness." River said, flirting back with him. "I see that you are quite fond of the Vortex manipulator as well," she said, noticing the device on his wrist. "Torchwood?" She said, knowingly. Jack laughed amused by her seductive interrogation.

"Yes, head of Torchwood Three underneath Cardiff," Jack said in his usual arrogant tone, "maybe I'll give you a tour one of these days." he suggestively, the Doctor didn't know how much of this he could take as River laughed softly.

"I may have to take you up on that offer, Mr. Harkness," River said with a mischievous smirk. "But, I may confess, I am a married woman," she said, added toying with Jack's Vortex Manipulator. Jack smirked more intrigued by River. "I don't think my husband would appreciate me traveling with another man."

"Actually, he doesn't like you flirting with a 51st century con man and would rather the two of you stop it." The Doctor said annoyed with the level of flirting that was happening between the two. "Just stop it, Jack." The Doctor said, hotly as he helped his son and Emma out of the stairwell. "In case, you two have forgotten, we do have a fleet of Cybermen after us." He added, trying to keep his rising irritation to a minimal.

"You know you basically married me with breasts, right? You never let me say hello to anyone and besides it's just some innocent flirting," Jack said, mocking a hurt tone. "By the way nice bow tie, never thought of you as the bow tie wearing man." he shrugged further adding onto the Doctor's annoyance.

"You know, I was never fond of you. Wait…What are you doing here?" The Doctor questioned the man as he realized that Jack had just came busting into the Oswalds' household, not that wasn't typical from Jack. Jack was the type to run into the battle without thinking about it.

"I might ask you the very same, Doctor what are you doing here in my house?" Again, the Doctor thrown into more confusion when Jack said this was his house.

"Your house? How is this your house when this is Clara Oswald's home?" The Doctor questioned Jack suspiciously. "How do _you_ know Clara?" Jack continued to scan both room before answering but being watchful of any more Cybermen invasions.

"We got an alert that the Cybermen were on earth again, so I trailed them here to my family's home. Clara is my wife." Jack said, firmly causing the Doctor's mind to have issues trying to wrap around the news that it had just received. He couldn't see how the two were able together or get married.

"Wife? What do you mean by wife?" The Doctor asked in complete puzzlement and confusion to Jack's confession.

"I mean Clara and I are married." Jack said,finding the Doctor's reaction amusing.

"I know that! I mean…you…well…you aren't exactly the one man, one woman type," he said, raising an eyebrow wearily. He wondered what had made Jack decide to take the more domestic route in life. This was definitely out of Jack's character, which made the Doctor consider that maybe Jack was a disillusion of some kind.

"Doctor, I'm wearing a vortex manipulator. Do I look like I've settled down?" He smiled a little bit. The Doctor shook his head in annoyance and took hold of Jack's Vortex Manipulator.

"Speaking of, I ought to sonic yours. Again." The Doctor frowned. He quickly scanned it. "How did you two meet?" He asked intrigued to hear how the two had met most likely in a pub.

"Alonso and I only lasted not even a week. He wanted more and well you know how I am…" He smirked and winked before continuing. "I went back to work for awhile, doing the usual. I met Clara in a club in downtown London. I used my charm on her and had a sneaking suspicion that she had been your companion at the time. Especially when she said that she had been traveling with a friend," he said, flashing the Doctor a look. "I asked her who but she said a friend. I decided to keep quiet about who I was for the time being. We met up three nights a week started talking more. And six months later, I took her to 1980 to Vegas."

"Please tell me you weren't married by Elvis." The Doctor groaned embarrassed for Clara but knew Jack would do something like that. Jack chuckled to himself at the Doctor's expense and smirked even more deviously.

"Of course, we were as Marilyn Monroe and John F. Kennedy," Jack said nonchalantly. "Nice guy too…" he added as an afterthought. "Anyway, we came back home as husband and wife. I told her what I did for a living and how you were the reason I chose Torchwood. She told me how you two met. A few days later, I had an assignment for work and Clara…well off on another adventure through time and space. Nine months later we had Emma." Jack concluded scanning the doors of each room.

Jack shrugged in response, "We discussed that part of my social life and decided to have an opened marriage." Jack answered baffling the Doctor more, "It was the main reason, the children all have her last name. Easier that way, but I wanted Dylan to have my last name to carry on the legacy." He added with a smug smile.

"So, you have an opened relationship?" River said, smirking, "Kinky." Emma covered her mouth to muffle the brief laughter that escaped her at watching the Doctor's horrified expression.

"More 51st Century than kinky, but I suppose we are in the 21st Century... Would you like to come to the 51st?" Jack grinned at River. The Doctor cleared his throat in irritation of the two flirting again.

"Stop it, you two." The Doctor said, warningly. River sighed as she walked over to her husband and kissed him. Jack moved over to his daughter.

"Hey, Dream Chaser," Jack said, hugging Emma close to him in relief that she was alright. Jack stared at Ryder almost sizing him up due to the young man's arm was around Emma's waist. Ryder forgot that Jack hasn't seen him since Ryder had been Harry Potter and didn't know that the Time Lord was currently dating his daughter. Not to mention, Ryder had recently regenerated as well and looked slightly different. The young man quickly removed his arm from its current position as he ran a nervous hand through his dark hair. "Who is this? Is this one of your newest companions?" Jack said, eyeing Ryder. carefully. The two teens looked at the floor uncomfortably as a red blush crossed their faces of complete guilt.

"Ummm, Dad…this is my…boyfriend, Ryder….He is…the Doctor's son…" Emma said, softly and almost innocently in try to defuse the mounting tension among the four people.

"So, you have a son?" Jack asked the Doctor with the same suspicion that the Doctor had held toward him moments ago. "I thought you lost your family back on Gallifrey?" The Doctor sighed grimly as he went to response.

"I did lose my family during the Time War but the Master found away to bring my son, Ryder back from the dead and imprisoned him in the Potter world as Harry Potter by the use of the Chameleon Arch." The Doctor explained grimly. "When Harry opened the fob watch that he had gotten, Ryder's DNA returned to him." The Doctor summed up everything, hopefully to where Jack could understand. "But you were in the Potterverse and you saw Emma! Jack, why didn't you tell me, she was your daughter," the Doctor said his disbelief growing even more. Jack became solemn and grim as he replied to the Doctor's interrogation

"It would be a paradox, Doctor." Jack explained gravely.

"A para- how would it be a paradox?" The Doctor asked, curiously.

"Alternate universe, remember how you didn't want Rose knowing about the Tylers because of what it could do? In the Potterverse, I was not Emma's dad," Jack said grimly. "Like how the Tylers didn't have Rose in the alternate universe." That made sense to the Doctor but one more question remained unanswered. The Doctor remembered how he had told Rose to not go looking for her parents in the alternate universe for the same reason. He also didn't want her to find out she never existed in the alternate universe.

"If you weren't her dad, then who were you in the Potterverse?" The Doctor tried to figure it all out.

"After receiving the anonymous message from the mysterious woman, I found the sealed rip between universes to enter the Potterverse. I became a spy for the Order while looking for the fluctuation in time. Also Emma was anomaly in that world," Jack concluded solemnly. "Emma never truly existed there." River smirked knowingly as she stepped up between the two men.

"Happy that my message went to the right men." She said, winking at the both of them causing the Doctor to blush slightly. River had helped him so much in the Potterverse, especially with accepting Harry's fate as their son. River became rather serious. "But what do we about this Hades wanting Emma?" She said, meeting the eyes of both Emma and Ryder. The Doctor adjusted his bow tie subconsciously in thought.

"Whoever it is, knows about Emma's dreams and what they mean." The Doctor said, pacing the kitchen. "The mother of all Angels…" He mused out loud in an increasingly troubled tone. He toyed absent-mindedly with his Sonic Screwdriver trying to figure out what that meant.

"The Weeping Angels…" River said, breaking the Doctor's thought process, "Could it be possible that Medusa could be the beginning origins of the Weeping Angels?" She subtly looked out the nearest window to make sure the Cybermen came alone. "If whoever, this Hades is knows that Emma ends up with the Heart of The TARDIS inside of her could want it to complete your defeat, Sweetie." The Doctor stopped dead in his tracks and faced his wife with such intensity. It made perfect sense, Emma would die from the level of energy inside of her and the Time Lords would forever be imprisoned in stone. The perfect trap…

Immediately the Doctor scanned the area for Angels in waiting. "We need to get to the TARDIS now. The Weeping Angels are surrounding the house." He said as he read the reading from his screwdriver and quickly pocketed it. "We have to be quick." Before they could leave, rushing footsteps were heard coming down the staircase. Dylan appeared at the foot of the stairs panting heavy and looking around wildly. Emma rushed up to her little brother in efforts to try to calm him.

"What happened? What are those things?" Dylan asked fearfully, clutching the railing so tightly that his knuckles were white when his father's gun. Someone else came down the stairs, Clara rounded the corner with a crying Oswin in her arms. She immediately gathered her older children in her arms in immense relief that they were all okay. In midst of kissing Emma on he head, she looked over to see Jack in the back foyer.

"Jack," she said, relieved to see him, running into his arms. He briefly returned the embrace while looking them over for any injuries. "What are they doing here? What do they want?" She asked concernedly, keeping both young children close to her as possible.

Before anyone could reply they are heard, "Delete, the source is located inside the TARDIS. The source must be delivered to our leader." One of the Cybermen said while rebooting. The sounds metal moving multiplied by ten, they were repairing themselves. One by one each Cyberman began to rise up and aim their guns at their enemies.

"Everyone in the TARDIS now!" The Doctor shouted and ushered them out the back door. Ryder ran with Emma, ignoring the flash of stone grey moving out of the corner of his eye. They ducked behind trees as lasers flew over their heads. Both teens made a mad dash for the blue box. Once inside, Emma watched her father, the Doctor, and River battling the Cybermen. Her mother dodged each shot with both children by her side. Emma stood waving them on from the doorway of the TARDIS. Ryder had ran back out of the console to help his father get the Oswald family to safety as both his mother and Jack began to open fire on the approaching army.

"Mum, Dad!" Emma shouted from the door of the TARDIS, watching the terrifying sight of the Cybermen closing in on her family. Lasers flew every direction but the guns came back with a powerful fury. Metal arms, legs, and heads scattered the lawn.

Clara had huddled over her two younger children to protect them from the war zone all around them. Just feet away… she told herself as she kept the blue box in sight… Now inches away. She repeated in encouragement, upon crossing the threshold of the TARDIS she pushed both children inside.

The Doctor shut the door quickly behind Jack and River, a second before a Cyberman laser hit. The box shook and rattled as the Cybermen raged on with their attack. The brown-haired man ran to the main console and flipped every or any switch that he could. He needed to get Clara and her family to safety, he also needed to find out what the Cybermen wanted from the Oswalds. The beautiful sound of the engine revving up filled the air and the trembling subsided as they left behind the silver terrors for now.


End file.
